Cutter rejoins White House to aid in selling health care

Network News

The White House named Stephanie Cutter, a veteran Democratic operative, to oversee the White House's messaging strategy on health care, among other large policy matters, in advance of the November midterm elections.

"Stephanie has an innate understanding of the nexus between policy and communications," President Obamasaid in a statement. "She's also a veteran of the White House, and I'm thrilled to have her onboard in this new role."

This will be Cutter's second stint, and third role, in the Obama White House. She began as counselor to Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and transitioned to run the strategic and communications operation surrounding the selection and confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor as Supreme Court justice last year.

Cutter also served as lead spokeswoman for the presidential transition team. During the 2008 general election campaign, she was chief of staff to Michelle Obama.

Cutter is expected to serve in the post on a short-term basis, then return to her consulting firm, the Cutter Media Group.

A new poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation released Thursday suggests that Americans remains largely in the dark about the health-care legislation. Fifty-five percent expressed confusion about the law and 56 percent said they didn't know enough about it to assess how it would affect them personally.

Republicans have pledged to run on the bill this fall, thinking that the public does not want the bill and will punish Democrats who voted for it last month.